1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to three-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for capturing three-dimensional stereoscopic images.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the increased popularity of digital cameras in the consumer marketplace, great advancements have resulted in digital imaging and video processing. These cameras capture still images as well as moving, or video, images.
The term “stereo imaging” involves capturing of two images of a scene to simulate the process by which the brain perceives 3D objects. To perceive the depth dimension of an image, the brain relies on the horizontal displacement of images provided by both eyes to create parallax (the apparent displacement of an object when viewed along two different lines of sight). The brain is able to merge the two images to perceive this parallax as the dimension of depth. This allows a person to see an object as solid in three spatial dimensions, such as width, height, and depth (i.e., x, y and z).
Conventionally, there exist various techniques for capturing high-definition stereo 3D images. However, such techniques primarily utilize two separate cameras and lenses for capturing a scene using two exposures, the exposures being made from two different viewpoints. Such cameras must be identical to each other in terms of type and settings, which is difficult and time consuming to achieve. The use of two cameras decreases reliability and usability while increasing the cost and weight of the imaging assembly.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for capturing 3D stereoscopic images.